The registration and abstract submission is open. There is a 7K JPY registration fee - payment in cash on site. The registration fee is waived for Early Career Scientists and scientists from developing countries (see here for more information).The registration is closed.

The workshop is hosted and organized by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) with the CLIVAR Ocean Model Development Panel (OMDP), the Climate Dynamics Panel and the Pacific Region Panel and the WESTPAC project on Air-Sea Interaction in the Kuroshio Extension and its Climate Impact (AIKEC).

Motivation

The Kuroshio, the western boundary current of the wind-driven subtropical gyre of the North Pacific Ocean, imposes profound effects on the climate and marine environment of the western North Pacific region. It transports a large amount of heat from low to middle latitudes, keeping the climate mild there. The recirculation gyre formed south of the Kuroshio and its extension current (the Kuroshio Extension) acts as a heat reservoir, whose effect is not limited to the atmospheric boundary layer but reaches the upper troposphere. A zonal band of the large meridional gradient of sea surface temperature (SST) is maintained north of the Kuroshio Extension. This SST gradient anchors the atmospheric storm track, potentially impacting the hemispheric scale atmospheric circulation. Thus, it is extremely important for climate models to properly represent the Kuroshio and its effects on the atmosphere, if they are intended to be used for understanding the role of the Kuroshio in forming the current climate and causing climate variability.

The most important roles of the Kuroshio on climate are the large northward heat transport and the formation of recirculation gyres. In order to replicate these, a horizontal resolution higher than at least around 20 km is required of the oceanic component of climate models. Thanks to the enhancement of computation resources, many climate modeling centers are planning to employ such high resolution oceanic components in some part of their CMIP6 experiments. Thus, it would be particularly useful at this time to share experiences and knowledge of modeling and understanding the behaviors of the Kuroshio in high-resolution ocean models. CLIVAR OMDP has proposed to hold this workshop in Japan, because the Japanese community has a long history of research on the Kuroshio and its impact on the atmosphere.

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is co-sponsoring, co-organizing and hosting the workshop. One of the JAMSTEC's research objectives is to deepen our understanding of global environmental system and its changes. Kuroshio is an important science target for JAMSTEC because of its broad role in the global climate system. The strong impact of Kuroshio on the climate of Japan and the western Pacific region due to its vicinity is another motivation to study. By hosting the workshop, researchers in JAMSTEC and Japan will get an opportunity to transmit their research findings to the international research community and to develop a coherent cooperation with them.

Workshop Objectives

To assess the state-of-science of the theory, observations, and ocean climate modelling of the Kuroshio Current and Extension systems in the North Pacific Ocean;

To assess the role of higher resolution to improve the simulation of the Kuroshio system in ocean climate models;

To explore opportunities for new collaborative and focused studies on the Kuroshio Current and Extension system to improve decadal climate prediction capabilities both for the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

Logistical Information

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has the main objective to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology by proceeding the fundamental research and development on marine, and the cooperative activities on the academic research related to the Ocean for the benefit of the peace and human welfare.

Registration Fee: 7K JPY (payment in cash on-site).

The fee includes snacks for breaks, meeting organization and miscellaneos costs, and an evening reception. The fee is waived for Early Career Scientists (Those pursuing their graduated studies (MSc, PhD), post-graduates and researchers in the first 6 years (full-time equivalent) of their research activity, since gaining a post-graduate degree) and scientists coming from developing countries/emerging economies.

Visa Information: Please see here for details on which nationals require a visa to attend the workshop. Please request an invitation letter from JAMSTEC when you register to include in your visa application.